1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to covers for insulating steering wheels and, more particularly, to nylon laminated covers for insulating steering wheels from hot or cold ambient air within parked vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In very hot dry summer or in very cold winter weather the air within cars or trucks parked outside can cause their steering wheels to reach temperatures which are very uncomfortable to the touch. Various types of steering wheel covers and materials for them have been proposed to remedy this problem and some of them are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.:
4,685,499 PA1 4,458,738 PA1 4,102,377 PA1 2,601,881 PA1 1,997,738 PA1 1,987,599 PA1 1,927,913 and others are described in the patents made of record in said applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,165.
The prior art steering wheel covers that are known to me are intended primarily to inhibit the passage of solar radiation therethrough to the steering wheels, but not to effectively insulate them from the hot or cold ambient air within the parked vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685.,499 shows a steering wheel cover 10 having a pair of parallel, spaced-apart sheet members 21,22 whose cut out corners 21E,21F and 22E,22F respectively define top vent apertures 36 and 38 which allow the ambient air in the parked vehicle to circulate therethrough (Col. 5, lines 8-13). Therefore, the temperature of the steering wheel also fluctuates with the ambient air temperature within the parked vehicle.
There has been a long-felt need for materials for steering wheel covers that can effectively insulate steering wheels from the hot or cold ambient air and that are resistant to oils, greases, solvents, fatigue and abrasion and at the same time exhibit high thermal stability, high tensile strength, adequate toughness, and retention of physical properties over a wide temperature range in order to withstand the abuse to which such covers are normally subjected inside and outside the cars.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,377 shows a steering wheel cover 10 forming an arcuate pocket 12 that is lined with an insulating foam 20 (Col. 2, lines 51-65). Arcuate pocket 12 defines a cavity 18 which receives the upper half, while a frontal skirt 14 overlays the lower half of the steering wheel S, which is exposed continuously to the hot or cold ambient air within the parked vehicle. Therefore, the temperature of the steering wheel rises and falls with the ambient air temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,377 makes the steering wheel cover out of a cover sheet 10 of Teflon normally used for ironing board covers. Such materials do not have a soft feeling to the touch. Sheet 10 is lined with a foam 20 having its upper portion bent over under the upper portion as shown at 28 (FIG.3) and is sewn to the periphery of the cover sheet by suitable peripheral stitching 30 (Col. 2, lns. 14-17). Such a lined construction results in ready separation of the foam lining from the cover sheet, and is relatively expensive to manufacture due to the excessive hand labor involved.
Most of the above and other well-known problems associated with the known prior steering wheel covers have been solved by the invention described in said applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 07/658,907 which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention solves an encountered difficult manufacturing problem, and it differs from that described in said co-pending application primarily in that the present steering wheel cover is made of a cover preferably made of a laminated material composed of a synthetic polymer fabric that contains an amide group nylon), CONH--, as a recurring part of its chain, bonded by a suitable bonding agent to thermal insulating foam. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the synthetic polymer is preferably in the form of a thin external sheet of polyamide (nylon) weave fabric laminated or bonded to a polyester open cell foam.
The synthetic thin sheet of nylon weave fabric has the following properties: resistance to oils, greases, solvents, fatigue and abrasion, low coefficient of friction, high thermal stability, high tensile strength, toughness, and retention of properties over a wide temperature range -75.degree. to 230.degree. F.
As such, the laminated material is very importantly characterized by its amenability to relatively inexpensive mass-production techniques through the use of plastic fabrication technology or sewing.